Another Time, Another Place

She slapped her knee. “Stop being so spiteful!”

“Why did she abandon me!”

“Why are you sleeping with a married man?”

I looked down, slightly embarrassed by her inquiry.

She pushed herself up. “Yeah, shut ya up for a second, didn’t I?” she huffed, putting her hand on her hip. “No need to pout, ’cause your actions say you grown. Life ain’t a bed of roses. We human, and things happen. You just gotta pick yourself up, and keep goin’ the best way you know how.” She pulled me up into a bear hug. “Sometimes when you keep lookin’ back, you miss the rainbow God tryin’ to show you ahead.”

“Aunt Frances, you’re the only person I’ve loved that’s never left me,” I muffled as I rested my head on her bosom.

She stroked my hair. “There’s two things I’m most proud of… being a nurse, and raising you to be the fine woman that you are. You’ve helped people. You’ve mentored our young girls on the island, giving them a slice of your spirit to succeed. Don’t let that beacon of light go out, baby. Your survival through all the madness thrown your way—let that strength inside you be your redemption.” She patted my back. “Why don’t you go back to that mansion, and talk to Gladys?”

I shook my head slowly as I pulled away. “I’m sorry, Aunt Frances, but I’m not ready to do that. I’m not ready,” I cried, walking out.

YOUR HEART’S IN GOOD HANDS

I purposely missed my father’s funeral, opting to spend the day grappling with myself in solitude. The next morning, I attended Jake’s meeting with the Raymans. I claimed my generous inheritance in silence, among the curses and cries of a family who would never claim me as their own. When the reading concluded, I bustled out, ignoring the calls of Gladys. Our newfound fortune combined…well over a million dollars. Time invested together, as mother and daughter—still bordering on bankrupt.

***

I felt warm hands caress my shoulders as I stared at my husband’s headstone. “Seem like you got more time to spend in the cemetery than with me,” Harrison said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Harrison, I wanna be alone right now. I got some things on my mind.”

“I don’t have a say in this? Been a month since Rayman’s funeral, and I ain’t seen ya. Talk to me.”

I sighed. “My whole life has been one big question mark.”

“Ain’t that how everybody’s life seem?”

“You don’t understand.”

Harrison held me tighter. “I know you gotta stop staring at these bones, if you ever wanna get out of livin’ in the past.”

I pushed him away, cutting my eyes at him. “Don’t be disrespectful, Harrison. This was my husband.”

He grimaced, pointing to the ground. “This here is dirt and bones, and over yonder is dirt and bones for your daddy, too!”

I hauled a hard slap to his face. Harrison grabbed my arms, shaking me against his body.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

“I’ma let you get away with hittin’ me, ’cause you hurtin’ and tryin’ to deny it!” He released my arms, but still held me close to him. “I got your number. You ain’t as big and bad as you think, and I ain’t Otis. You not gonna treat me like some chump. I may be younger, but I’m not a fool with his dick hangin’ between his legs, foamin’ at the mouth.” He toyed with a strand of my hair, softly kissing my temple. “You can stop this tough-girl routine. I wanna help you through hard times,” he said in a softer tone. “Mourn if you gotta, but don’t let sadness take over who you are. Dirt an

d bones? That’s how you want to remember love? Or do you want to feel alive with me?”

I sucked my teeth, turning my back to him. “What am I supposed to do? Fuck you until you forgive Naomi?”

He wrapped his arms around me, rocking me amidst the chill of an autumn breeze. “I don’t love her no more, and you know it. I love you, and you love me, so quit looking at this grave. You mighta been Adam’s baby doll, but you my Eve, now. You gonna sin and make mistakes, just like everybody else. A degree don’t save you from being lost in this cold-ass world. We the same, Jasmine. Brokenhearted and trying to find our way back to somethin’ safe.”

I placed my hands over his, giving in to his touch. He turned me to look into his eyes.

“I coulda died in Vietnam, and you coulda died the night you lost your baby. But we didn’t. We made it…and I believe we’re made for each other.” Harrison held my chin. “I don’t want nothin’ from you, but your heart. What we got is real, and I know you feel it. Stop actin’ like you don’t need nobody. That’s all I ask.”

“I love you, Harrison,” I said, holding him tight.

He picked me up into his arms. “I love you, Miss Jasmine, and as long as we got each other, we gonna be all right.”